Deathscapes

Reza Barati 11d - The fatal night: 17 February

The fatal night: 17 February

[imagecaption] Photo of Reza Barati held up in Delta Compound, Manus Camp, Lombrum, 2014. A medical officer who examined Reza Barati stated, ‘When he was brought in, Mr Barati was alive but the medical staff knew from his injuries that he was not going to survive. Mr Barati’s head was shattered by a crack on the left side of his skull…He also had facial abrasions and knocks indicating he has received a more general beating (not just the blow to the skull).’ [/imagecaption]

[BREAK]

There are multiple accounts of what happened on the night when Reza Barati was killed. In Australia, officials at first denied and then equivocated about the cause of his death. Witness statements and comments made to media by asylum seekers in the camp contradict official accounts. The former are supported by camp staff who blew the whistle in subsequent weeks and months in an attempt to help correct the record.

‘Injuries suffered by transferees included the results of beatings to the face, across the back and the right side of the victims’ arms. These injuries suggested that the victims had been running away when they were hit or crouching down trying to protect their face and head behind a raised arm.’